ARTS FOR ALL

Mission:
ARTS FOR ALL, INC. is a non-profit arts outreach organization serving in-need children ages 4-19. Our mission is to provide artistic opportunities to in-need youth communities in the greater New York City area. The majority of our programs are free of charge. Through ARTS FOR ALL, professional artists work with children who have little means or opportunity to explore the arts due to economic disadvantages, physical and mental disabilities, hospitalization, socialization issues, emotional trauma, or any other life challenge.

Community Reviews

Arts for All is a fantastic organization that provides artistic opportunities for children in need. I had the pleasure of assisting them for their touring production of "The Emperor's New Clothes", a wonderful show that is sure to bring joy and laughter, as well as exposure to the arts, to many children in the next couple of weeks.

I'm incredibly grateful for Arts for All and everything this wonderful organization provides for in-need children all over the NYC area. They provide excellent artistic opportunities to over 3,500 children a year with their dedication, commitment, and giving spirit. I have personally seen the smiles, laughter, and educational growth at each event, classroom, workshop, and field trip where I have volunteered. The people who work and volunteer for this organization are extremely professional and believe in the mission and vision of Arts for All. If you get a chance to be involved with Arts for All, it will truly change your heart.

Arts for All is a wonderful organization. I helped get it started many years ago, and I saw how rewarding it was from the point of view of one of the organization's teaching artists. Then I began teaching high school, and an Arts for All artist came to my classroom to lead a workshop on Shakespeare. I was able to see from the point of view of the community served just how fantastic Arts for All's services are. I knew it was a great organization, but I didn't realize just how invaluable it truly was. What a treasure!!

I helped to found Arts for All and worked on the administrative end of things for while before moving out of New York. I was also a teacher at an economically disadvantaged school, and before leaving the city, a volunteer artist came into my classroom to lead a Shakespeare workshop with my ninth graders who were about to start reading "Romeo and Juliet." This allowed me to see Arts for All from the point of view of the communities it serves for the first time, and I saw in a new way what I had already known: that Arts for All is an invaluable organization for getting academic subjects across in a new, sometimes more accessible way, as well as a wonderful way to give children more confidence.
This organization provides much-needed services to youth who would otherwise have to go without. It is a wonderful organization!

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Arts for All is an organization that is providing hope and opportunity for a successful future for in-need children in the NYC area. They are opening these children's minds to the world outside of their education system and introducing them to creative outlets that let them flourish and grow in a different and less confined way. Seeing this in many children first hand through volunteering with Arts for All is so rewarding and I am excited to continue my volunteer work with them. The staff is incredible and supportive and the most genuine around!

I have volunteered, interned, and fundraised with Arts for All for 4 years. Even though I have a full time job and no children of my own in the NYC school system, it is important for us all to be aware and involved in the current issues in our community and the development of the youth. Arts opportunities for NYC's youth have decreased over the years and we have taken our passion for the arts and for the future of our city to give these kids a life changing experience.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I started off as an intern with Arts for All in 2010. What I liked about this organization compared to others I had volunteered for in the past was that I was able to interact with our students on a regular basis. I have volunteered at other organizations where I would do office work and never actually meet the people who benefitted from our work. That was my first favorite thing about being a part of Arts for All and their mission. They truly reach as many children as possible and every single volunteer gets to be a part of that. To be included in that process actively is so heartwarming and means a lot more than sitting in an office; I felt the difference that I was making. Since graduating and beginning to work at a full time job, I have made it a point to continue as a volunteer with Arts for All because it would really be a loss in my life if I stopped.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I just began working with Arts For All. However, they have already impressed me with their extreme professionalism and devotion to the important work that they do. Considering arts funding is becoming less important in schools budgets, Arts For All provides a necessary tool for fostering children's intellectual development. They truly put their all into creating a better future for our children.

In 2013, I started partnering with and supporting Arts For All, and the relationship was successful and immensely rewarding. We are working together again this year on four arts education programs for second-graders: two that pair haiku with the visual arts; and two that pair haiku with music. (The haiku were written by my late mother, Sydell Rosenberg, a teacher and an anthologized American haiku poet.) These programs are not just educational and hands-on fun, they are exciting and unusual. AFA takes its mandate to serve children seriously and with a drive and dedication that's a joy to experience. The feedback from the kids, principal and teachers has also been satisfying. I am proud to be associated with Arts For All: it is a wonderfully worthy organization that fulfills its commitment to enrich the lives of children every day.

How likely are you to donate to this group again?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I have been most grateful for the opportunity to contribute to and partner with Arts For All on an initiative for second-graders to pair haiku "word-pictures" with the visual arts. This program, now underway at an elementary school in the Bronx, has been so rewarding and such fun for everyone involved -- including, most importantly, the children! Arts For All impresses with its overall professionalism, its boundless dedication to the children it serves, the variety of its programs and offerings and its accountability for results that educate, engage, enlighten and delight. I look forward to more opportunities to collaborate with this wonderful organization, Arts For All.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Over the last year, I had the privilege of working with this incredibly inspiring organization as both an intern and as a committee member of both the operations and fundraising committees. I have had the opportunity to work both inside the office with the Executive Director and Development Associate, as well as outside the office observing teaching artists in the classroom, and participating in fundraising activities. The experiences that I've had at Arts For All have far exceeded any expectations that I could have had. Every single individual involved, from the volunteers to the committees, board, and ED, are extremely dedicated to helping ensure that children who may otherwise face difficulties accessing the arts have an opportunity to do so. They believe strongly in the power of the arts to create resilience, creativity, self-expression, self-confidence, and teamwork, and I have witnessed this firsthand in my time with them. There's a reason that so many of the interns continue to volunteer with Arts For All after their internship has ended! Truly a remarkable nonprofit.

I'm an intern with Arts For All and I have absolutely loved my time with them so far. Even though I haven't been with them that long, I have already fallen in love with their mission, passion, and dedication to providing arts education to children who might not otherwise have access. Anna and the rest of the team exhibit a deep love for what they do, which I find extremely inspiring each and every day.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I just started volunteering with Arts for All and have had a wonderful experience! They are so supportive of their teachers and are incredibly well organized with administrative matters. I'm always impressed by the care they put into their programs, and it shows in the fun that the kids have when taking part! So excited to keep working with them and learning more about their programs.

I interned for Arts For All this past summer and have been a volunteer for the past two years. The organization has always been incredibly professional and dedicated to their mission. I look forward to continuing to help out and provide as many children in New York with an arts education as possible!

Volunteering with Arts For All has been an amazing experience, their staff is dedicated and very professional. Their commitment to their mission is apparent and they truly work each year to reach more and more children. As arts funding is rapidly disappearing from our schools, now more than ever, the programs AFA provides are necessary. AFA’s programs successfully reveal the crucial role that art plays in education and the benefits that it has on these students.

The day was incredibly informative specifically concerning the operations for the organizations itself. I did, however, find that the development day catered mainly to the teaching artists. This is of course a vital aspect of the organization, but I am not sure that within that small amount of time that it can continue to promote the questions and dialogs necessary for improvement in lesson planning, assessment, and the like. It appeared most people were worried about the lesson plans and the the assessment protocols.

In addition, there could be another development day that directly focuses on lesson planning techniques while also addressing the various issues some may face in the class rooms--this could perhaps be implemented by bringing in a guest speaker in the field that could help the teaching artists better manage any difficult situations that arise. I think that sharing techniques can be an extremely valuable experience. I would suggest wiggio a free online tool kit which make it easier to work in groups.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Because this organization strong focuses on the theatrics, I would put more emphasis on the visual arts. I would also love to see some sort of programing that get these children out into the street and making change to their community. Not only will this help to foster a strong community connect but as a beautification efforts. In particular, I think of mural making
A partnership with various art colleges and universities in the area would be an incredible resource.

Would you volunteer for this group again?

Likely

For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?